The Los Angeles Times reported last week that clinical depression is now the second-leading cause of global disability, with the highest rates affecting working-age adults and women.
In the Times piece titled “It’s a sad, sad, sad, sad world: Depression and global disability”, the paper reported that “researchers found that depressive disorders were second only to lower respiratory infections when it came to inflicting the most years of disability on people throughout the world.”
The paper reported that the global rate for depression was 4.4 percent, while the rate for women was 5.5 percent, compared to men at 3.2 percent. Between 1990 and 2010, clinical depression rates rose globally by 38 percent.
“These findings reinforce the importance of treating depressive disorders as a public-health priority and of implementing cost-effective interventions to reduce their ubiquitous burden,” the lead author of the study cited by the Times, Alize Ferrari, a researcher at Australia’s University of Queensland said.
According to the Times, clinical depression “involves at least one major episode in which the sufferer experiences overwhelming feelings of sadness and hopelessness nearly all day, every day, for two weeks.” Researchers cited in the article said that the disorder was associated with suicide and ischemic heart disease.
Can I Collect Disability If I Have Clinical Depression?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) grants Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits to people who suffer from severe mental and physical impairments. If you can prove that your depression is severe enough that it causes you issues relating to decreased energy, sleep disorders or paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, leaving you unable to work, you may qualify for benefits.
The SSA uses two different tests including the “Duration of Work Test” and the “Recent Work Test” to determine if a person qualifies for benefits. These take into account how long you have worked, as well as how recently, in order to determine eligibility. It should also be noted that if a person’s mental RFC (residual functional capacity) shows that he or she is able to do limited functions in a work environment, he or she might also be eligible for a medical-vocational allowance depending on certain circumstances.
If you suffer from severe depression that leaves you unable to work, we suggest contacting a Tulsa Social Security disability attorney. We offer free evaluations of your case, and you may reach us by phone at (918) 265-1404. We will help you every step of the way and fight for your rights. Contact us today.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security disability lawyers
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